Members of
the State Board of Education were treated to a debut appearance today by “Ray,”
a mascot designed by students to help promote summer nutrition programs across
the state. The life-size mascot will be making appearances around the state to help
the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and local school and
community partners promote N.C. Summer Nutrition Programs that provide meals to
students struggling with hunger when school is out.
Ray was
designed by a team of students from Corinth Holders High School in Johnston
County as part of a student art contest sponsored by NCDPI’s School Nutrition
Services. Another student from Corinth Holders High School designed the new
N.C. Summer Nutrition Programs logo. Keri Brewer, the students' teacher, accepted contest awards on their behalf at today's meeting.
Now, North Carolina students
have another opportunity to apply their creative skills through the N.C. Summer Nutrition
Programs Promotional Materials Contest. Students in grades 6-12 are invited to design
and submit promotional content such as a theme song, jingle, rap, dance, skit,
public service announcement or other animated creation to help get children and
teens excited about meeting up to eat up, enjoy physical activity, learn and
have fun through N.C. Summer Nutrition Programs. With support from The Dairy
Alliance, contest winners will receive cash prizes: $200 for first place, $150
for second place and $100 for third place. All contest entries must be
submitted by April 6 at 5 p.m.
During the
school year, many students rely on the nutritious meals served through the
School Breakfast Program, School Lunch Program, and Afterschool Meals Program. But
hunger doesn’t take a summer break. Last summer, the N.C. Summer Nutrition
Programs served more than 5.2 million meals to children and teens at almost
3,000 locations around the State. Still, only 12 out of every 100 public school
students eligible for the program received these meals. And even through these
programs are open to all students up to age 18, mostly elementary students or
younger children participate in the N.C. Summer Nutrition Programs.
Raising
awareness is key to ensuring all kids who need summer meals can utilize these
vital programs.
“More than
one in four children in our state do not know where their next meal will come
from. Making students and families aware of available sites for summer meals is
crucial to keeping kids well-nourished, healthy and ready-to-learn,” said Lynn
Harvey, chief of School Nutrition Services for NCDPI.
Summer Nutrition
Programs (Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option) are
administered by NCDPI’s School Nutrition Services with federal funds from the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The N.C. Summer Nutrition Programs serve
nutritious meals to children up to age 18 living in low-income areas (where 50
percent or more of the students qualify for no-cost or reduced-price school
meals). The program may operate in schools, public housing centers,
playgrounds, camps, parks, faith-based facilities, and other sites where
students gather during the summer months. Meals are served to eligible children
at no cost and registration is not required.
School
Nutrition Services seeks qualified private nonprofit and public organizations
to administer the Summer Food Service Program. To access a fact sheet that will
provide additional information about administering the program, click here. After reviewing this
information, if you would like to be considered to sponsor a program for 2018,
complete the Summer Food Service
Program Sponsor Pre-Screen. Once you have completed the online pre-screening, a Summer
Nutrition Consultant will be in contact with you to discuss next steps.
Students
and teachers with questions about the N.C. Summer Nutrition
Programs Promotional Materials Contest or citizens and organizations interested in
more information about getting involved as a site, activity provider or
volunteer, should contact NCDPI Summer Nutrition Programs Manager Cynthia Ervin.
USDA and NCDPI are equal opportunity providers and employers. Additional information regarding School Nutrition Programs in North Carolina can be found on the School Nutrition Services website.
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